Ship unloading device



July 16, 1968 R. BASCHANT SHIP UNLOADING DEVICEy Filed Nov. 25, 1966United States Patent Oflce 3,392,818 Patented July 16, 1968 ABSTRACTA OFTHE DISCLOSURE In a ,derrick, the hoisting cable winches are used ascounte-rweights on a bell crank balance arm which supports the main jibor boom. I

A ship unloading device is known. which is mounted on a pontoon. Saidunload-ing device consists of a 4mobile supportingframe to the lowerplatform of which a vbalance arm is hinged. Said balancearm is held by.means of a hoisting cable engaging therewith at about half its height,said cable leading to a winch arranged on the platform of the supportingframeHalfway up said balance arm is hinged an arc-shaped jib, `held by ahosting cable which also passes over the apex of said balance arm to awinch arranged on the oor of the supporting frame. Mounted on the jib isa double-ended lever, the two ends of which are connected by hoistingcablesto an adjusting device. One end of the double-ended lever ismounted in a sliding guide on the vertical conveyor which in turn ishinged to said jib. This device has the ability, when the lowerablevertical conveyor is set, for example, on `the ships bottom as ispossible at low and high tide or when the position of the sh-ip ischanged, to load the structure of said ship with the weight of thevertical conveyor and, additionally, with a portion of the weight of thejib.

The object of this invent-ion is to produce a ship unloading devicewhieh, when the vertical conveyor is set up, loads the structure of theship not with the whole, but at the most with only a portion of theweight of the vertical conveyor and of the jib.

The problem is, therefore, -to bring 4about the best possibleequilibrium in the unloading unit and to reduce the ballast. Finally,the vertical conveyor is to -be capable of being brought into allpossible practical unloading positions arising by means of the simplestpossible design ofthe jib supporting it.

This invention proceeds from a ship unloading installation having a mainjib which projects over the water and carries, adjustably, a verticalconveyor, said main jib being mounted so as to pivot about a horizontalaxis and on a balance arm hinged to the supporting frame of theinstallation and capable of adjustment in a vertical plane; saidinstallation also having a vertically pivoted belt jib projecting fromthe supporting frame over the land, adjustable Winches being providedfor the hoisting cables leading to the jib over the water, to thebalance arm, and to the lbelt ji-b over the land.

The advantage of the invention is that, when the vertical conveyor isset up, it does not load the ships bottom with its own weight and alsowith a portion of the weight of the jib. Finally, there is also theadvantage that the vertical conveyor with the jib can be broughtpractically into the space behind the wall of the dock merely by apivoting movement.

An example of embodiment of the invention is explained hereinafter bymeans of the schematic side elevation illustrated in the drawing.

By the wall of dock 1 lies a ship 2, of which only t-h external profileand the profile of the hold 3 are shown.

Along the wall of the dock, and running on tracks 4,

is supporting frame 5, the lower portion of which is in the form of agate through which vehicles can pass. Freight cars 7 can move throughsaid gate. Additional freight cars 8 can also move externally of saidgate.

-Pedestal 5a of the supporting frame carries, in a bearing 9,a'triangular balance arm 1'0 consist-ing of three a-rms 11,-12 and 13, aconnecting strut 14a and a hoisting cable 14b, thus constituting inpractice a bell crank.

Mounted at the end of lower arm 11 in bearing 15 is a main belt jib 16projecting `over the water. Attached to the front en d ofv said jib inbearing 40 is vertical conveyor 17`, the angular position of which isadjusted by a hydraulic drive 18, one end of which is joined by a hinge1-9 to jib 16, while the other end is joined by a hinge 20 to verticalconveyor 17. vControl cabin 21 is attached to vertical i conveyor 17 insuch a manner that the driver can observe the unloading process.

- Belt jib 16 is held by means 'of a block and tackle, the-ends of whichare led over cable pulleys 23 at the end of arm 13 to two Winches 24 and25 at the end of upper faim 12. Said Winches, in conjunction with stillother Winches, form counterweight 26 for vertical conveyor 17 arid jib16. In this connection, balance arm 10V is so designed, andcounterweight 26 is so arranged, that at the outermost (extreme)position of said vertical conveyor, shown 'by way of example at 17a, thecounterweight is also in its outermost position 26a, in which arm 12 isalmost horizontal. In this connection, it is assumed that verticalconveyor 17 moves from position 17 to position 17a at the same level. Onthe other hand, if vertical conveyor 17 is moved towards the land atapproximately the same level, counterweight 26 finally approaches nearerto the perpendicular passing through pivot bearing 9. This means thatwhen vertical conveyor 17 is moved, at approximately the same level,from its extreme position over the land t-o its extreme position overthe water, counterweight 26 is moved in such a manner that the -overallcenter of gravity of the installation is not substantially displaced.

Also arranged in counterweight 26 is winch 27 for hoisting cable 2Swhich passes over pulley 29, at the free end of lower arm 11, to pulleys30 attached to supporting frame 5. End 31 of hoisting cable 28 isattached to the end of arm 11.

It is assu-med that cable winch 24 is used alone for raising :andlowering belt jib 16, the latter pivoting about bearing 15. Furthermore,-the position of the jib is not altered. On the other hand, if jib 16 isto be moved forwards or backwards, cable winch 27 is wound in or out.

However, if when belt jib 16 is moved forwards or backwards, verticalconveyor 17 is required to remain at the same height, winch 25 is alsowound appropriately in or out. For example, if winch 27 is wound in, jib16 will be forced to the left. If hoisting cable 22 were not altered,vertical conveyor 17 would be raised. However, in order to maintain thevertical conveyor at the same height, cable is let out from winch 25.Cable hoists 27 and 25 may be coupled together mechanically orelectrically in such a manner that the crew is required to carry outonly one switching operation to move vertical conveyor 17 whilemaintaining it at the same level.

The retention of balance arm 10 by means of hoisting cable 28 has theadvantage that, when vertical conveyor 17 is set up, it remains balancedby counterweight 26, since hoisting cable Z2 remains taut. Cable 28, onthe other hand, goes slack. For the purpose of unloading lateral area 3aof hold 3, vertical conveyor 17 may be brought into position 17b shownin dotted lines. To this end, hydraulic drive 18 is moved appropriately,and the jib is lowered to position 16a. In a similar manner, thevertical conveyor may also be inclined in the other direction to unloadhold area 3b on the other side.

in Vwhich, it canbe pulled -in almost to the.plane of ,the

dock wall. Thus supportingframe 5 can be moved from hatch to hatch evenwhen the superstructure of the ship is very high.

Hinged to the rear end of belt jib 16 in bearings 32 is an intermediateconveyor belt 33, the other end 34 of `which is supported on a belt jib35 projecting over the land, so that it may be placed over a freight car8. Said belt jib 35 is hinged at 'oneA end, at `36, Yto supporting frame5. Its other end is held by a hoisting cable 37 whose winch -may also beaccommodated in counterweight 2.6.A Connected Vto the inner, lower endof belt jib 35 is ayerticalchute 38 which delivers the material to belts39. However,said material may also be moved in another manner,I and maybe discharged, for example, into freight cars 7, 8 or the like, Thesuspension of belt jib 35 provides an additional counterweight by itsown weight and that of the intermediate conveyor belt. I,

Having now described theJ means by which the objects of the inventionare obtained. I claim: z

1. In a ship unloading device comprising a supporting frame, a balancearm carried by said frame and swingable in a vertical plane, a main beltjib pivotally secured to said balance arm for extending over a ship, avertical conveyor carried by the free end of said main belt jib, avertically pivotal belt jib joined to said frame and extending landwise,and hoisting cable means for actuating the main belt jib, the verticallypivoted belt jib and the balance arm, the improvement in which saidbalance arm is triangular with a lower arm attached to said main beltjib, and an upper arm joined to said hoisting cable means and forming acounterweight.

2. In a device as in claim 1, said balance arm forming bellr crankopened Ato kthe landside of the device, and a strut extending betweensaid lower `arm and said upper arm.

3. In a device as in claim 2, further comprising a support arm securedto said balance arm and extending shipwise over said main belt jib, andsaid hoisting means including a cable guided by said support varm andattached to said main belt jib. j

4. A 'device as'inclaim l3, said 'hoisting means further including abalancearm adjusting cable'attached to said lower arm. ,f`; ,f 'I v 5. Adevice as in claim 4, 'said hoisting means further comprising hoistingcable winchmeans for said main belt jib carried by said balance armandforming part of said counterweight. v i v 6.1A device as in claim 5,furthercomprising winch means for said balance arm adjusting cable andforming part of said counterweight. Y

7. A device as in claim 6, further comprising an intermediate conveyorbelt between lsaid main jib belt and said vertically pivoted belt jib. Y

-;.=8. A device as lin claim 7, further comprising winch control meansjoined to said winchmeans for holding said vertical conveyor atsubstantially the same elevation a said balance arm is moved.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 7/ 1922 Kininmonth .214-14 XR9/1967 Ludwig 212-21 XR

